A showdown inside the cage would leave Fury open to MMA rules, meaning he would be facing a man with world class wrestling, who could take the bout to areas Fury has never been. And Bisping says that, despite his UK heritage, there is no way Fury would win.

"I always support British athletes of all sports, including Tyson Fury. I think he's a great boxer," Bisping told the Mirror.

"However, if he's calling out UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez then quite frankly he's living in a fantasy world and needs to come back to reality.

"He would be absolutely destroyed in a matchup against Cain. Cain's a UFC champion and Fury wouldn't stand a chance."

Fury had earlier sparked a storm by tweeting directly at Velasquez: "I challenge you to fight all in a cage or ring! It could be billed as the man vs midget. Let's get it on! You small stiff idiot."

Neither Velasquez nor UFC president Dana White are yet to offer a response to Fury's claim that he is the "baddest man on the planet".